Австралиялық паб-рок стилінің тарихы

Style of Australian rock and roll

Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll that peaked in popularity throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and that continues to influence Australian music into the 21st century. It is named after the live music circuit in which most associated bands developed their sound: inner city and suburban pubs. These often noisy, hot, small and crowded venues favoured loud, riff based heavy rock. Australian pub rock incorporates hard rock and blues rock, and occasionally elements of progressive rock and psychedelic rock. It emerged in the early 1970s, with bands such as Buffalo, Blackfeather, and Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs pioneering the sound. Later acts such as Rose Tattoo, AC/DC and Hunters & Collectors expanded the genre further and achieved mainstream success. In a few Australian cities, particularly Melbourne, pub rock was associated with the Sharpies youth subculture.

The emergence of the Australian version of the pub rock genre and the related pub circuit was the result of several interconnected factors. From the 1950s to the 1970s, mainly because of restrictive state liquor licensing laws, only a small proportion of live pop and rock music in Australia was performed on licensed premises (mostly private clubs or discotheques); the majority of concerts were held in non licensed venues like community, church or municipal halls. These concerts and dances were 'all ages' events—often with adult supervision—and alcohol was not served. During the 1960s, however, Australian states began liberalising their licensing laws. Sunday Observance Acts were repealed, pub opening hours were extended, discriminatory regulations — such as the long standing ban on women entering or drinking in public bars — were removed, and in the 1970s the age of legal majority was lowered from 21 to 18. Concurrently, the members of the so called "Baby Boomer" generation — who were the main audience for pop and rock music — were reaching their late teens and early twenties, and were thus able to enter such licensed premises. Pub owners soon realised that providing live music (which was often free) would draw young people to pubs in large numbers, and regular rock performances soon became a fixture at many pubs.